The Crown Lands of British Guiana. 345 



usually a great deterrent to steady reliable work. I 

 should advise the cultivation of the fine art of legis- 

 lation in the renewal of grants even to the perfection of 

 fining the security (the wood cutter would be no use) if 

 any timber were left on a grant on its expiration, because 

 that would indicate that the grant had not been properly 

 worked, and means a loss to the Crown Lands Department 

 and the colony at large. I do not think a labourer can be 

 legally conipelltd to pay his own registration fee, but I 

 don't see that there would be any particular hardship to 

 him if he had to do so, as his only contribution to the 

 Colony chest is at present through the medium of the 

 rum and tobacco he uses. 



The cultivation of charcoal grants as suggested by the 

 Crown Lands Department would increase the cost of pro- 

 ducing charcoal, tor whatever was cultivated would cost 

 more to grow than it would fetch in the market. The idea 

 is theoretically good but not pradtically good in dollars 

 and cents. If the Government have the money and are 

 willing to spend it in this way the writer is of opinion 

 that the most suitable and least expensive thing to 

 cultivate on such tra6ls is the casuarina tree. I 

 formed the opinion from a small pra6lical experiment, 

 tried with the tree named, on such a place. The anni- 

 hilation of vegetation on charcoal grants is not com- 

 plete : this is just where the expense in the rearing of the 

 casuarina would come in, all sorts of rank " Minab" 

 bush immediately grows up, and if not cut down would 

 kill the casuarina. I have seen this happen. Regarding 

 Mr, IM Thurn's letter I may say that this certainly 

 would at first sight appear to be a move in the right 

 dircdlion, and it did so occur to lue yeyrs ago, but the 



